With a score of contenders vying on a single jumbo ballot to replace imprisoned Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham in a special election on April 11, voters in the 50th Congressional District may be more than a bit bewildered. The field of candidates includes a quartet of millionaire businessmen, a former Chargers defensive back, three veteran officeholders, a retired judge, a soccer mom or two, and an assortment of political neophytes intent on starting at the top. Considering Cunningham's ignominious departure from public life after pleading guilty to massive corruption charges, voters may be tempted to turn to the untainted novices, the complete outsiders, to draw a breath of pure, non-Washington air. As understandable as this sentiment is, it would be a mistake in our view to elect a green aspirant whose only qualification for office is an overflow of good intentions. Capitol Hill is not the place for untried rookies to gain some experience. America confronts enormous challenges, and the men and women we elect to Congress must be prepared to deal with them effectively from the first day they are sworn in.

With this criterion in mind, we are forced to eliminate most of the candidates in the 50th District, which stretches from La Jolla and Clairemont Mesa northward to Carlsbad and Escondido. Also scratched in this bunch are the four well-heeled businessmen whose flashy, multimillion-dollar television campaigns shroud their dismaying lack of preparedness for serving in Congress.

Focusing, then, on the trio of experienced officeholders, our choice is Brian Bilbray, a moderate Republican with a record of pragmatic problem solving during nearly a quarter century in elected posts, from mayor of Imperial Beach to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to an earlier six-year stint in the House of Representatives.

Bilbray views Washington's intense partisanship as the root cause of the current congressional dysfunction. He should know. During his time in the House from 1994 to 2000, Bilbray often was assailed by his partisan-edged GOP colleagues for reaching out to Democrats in a spirit of compromise. But his efforts also paid off with legislation to combat smog in the border region, counter sewage pollution from Mexico in the Pacific Ocean, and create the 18,500-acre Otay Mountain Wilderness Area.

In addition, Bilbray is a fiscal conservative who decries the spending binge lawmakers have engaged in during the last five years. He believes President Bush's tax cuts should be made permanent to strengthen the economy and that cuts in outlays are essential to re-establishing fiscal responsibility in Washington. He also makes far more sense than any of his rivals on the inflammatory issue of illegal immigration, stressing the need for forgery proof worker documents and severe employer sanctions for companies that hire illegal workers. This said, we also strongly disagree with Bilbray's position that children born in this country to illegal immigrant parents should be denied American citizenship. Despite the bewildering roster of candidates, voters should make their voices heard plainly on April 11.